


Family Ties

by WriterOfThought



Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Labyrinth (1986)
Genre: Disabled Protagonist, Gen, Half Siblings - Freeform, LGBT, Mental Illness, Nonbinary Protagonist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2017-10-14
Packaged: 2019-01-17 10:08:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,573
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12363390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WriterOfThought/pseuds/WriterOfThought
Summary: When the supposedly non-magic child of the Goblin King is invited to attend Auradon Prep, secrets get revealed that may undermine the authority of the school.





	1. Invitation

**Author's Note:**

> I had been trying to think of an OC for this series since I saw the first movie and I finally thought of one when I remembered that Disney owns the Jim Henson company, this is the character that resulted. I used a lot of old faerie lore to create this character and patterned their behaviors off of my own.

As usual, Gesse awoke with the pitter-patter of chickens’ feet surrounding them. They never felt comfortable with the feathers always winding up between their toes. With a practiced hand, they grabbed the crystal ball that had rolled its way out of their pocket and under the mess of half-filled mattress stacked on crates that passed for a bed, instantly feeling a bit calmer with its smoothness in their fingers, slipped on their knee-high boots, and wandered downstairs to see what Dad was up to. Maybe Gesse could get some breakfast in peace today.

Dad was always wasting away his nights either renting himself out, or if his luck was low, finding himself a woman and paying for her services instead, not that he was ever picky. He’d find his way to get his stress off one way or another, and ever since Maleficent’s progeny had been selected to get off this god forsaken rock and not his, he’d been full of stress.

The Goblin King was still asleep in his armchair, or what was left of it. Lucky for Gesse he didn’t score any luck last night, meaning there were no strange women in the house. Unluckily, this probably meant that he spent quite a bit of money, didn’t earn any, and Gesse had to do a bit of selling. They dreaded the thought of talking to people, even if only to sell eggs.

The Goblin King stirred and woke. A slight clatter of cans resounded. Gesse was hoping in their head that he hadn’t picked up a new bad habit, clutching their crystal tightly.

“GESSE!” came a deep, baritone shout. Gesse walked over to their father, bowing slightly, as you do to show respect to the Unseelie Fae high court. The Goblin King grinned and ruffled his child’s short, unkempt, sandy blonde hair, placed his gloved hand under their pale chin, and raised their head up, forcing them to look him in the eyes, which he knew Gesse would not do willingly.

“I have good news for you, my heir,” he said, looking his child directly in their deep, blue eyes.

“What is it, Father?” Gesse asked. The eye contact hurt. But they knew better than to upset the Fae.

“Rumor has it that more children from the Isle are being allowed into Auradon,” he said. “The Tremaine child has already been chosen, and there’s still more. Perhaps if you show yourself to be an exemplary candidate, you can get yourself off this island.” He finally released their chin, giving them nonverbal permission to finally look away.

“Yes, Father,” they said, going back to gathering eggs from around the house.

 They knew what he was really saying, of course.

“If I’m lucky, I can finally be rid of this reminder that was left on my doorstep that I will never, ever win. I was used by Maleficent and my attempt to get even failed because my child is only half-Fae so they have no magic. I hope so hard you’re on that list so I can get you out of my sight. Never mind the fact that you’re-”

There was a knock at the door. The sound startled Gesse out of their mental rant. Instinctively, they shrank, clutching the crystal ball in their pocket for comfort, hoping their father answered the door instead. They couldn’t handle the thought of negotiating their father out of whatever situation he mangled himself into this time.

The knocks came again. He didn’t answer the door. He expected Gesse to. He was commanding Gesse to, without telling them to. He was trying to make them more independent, but sometimes it backfired.

This was one of those times. All the words left Gesse’s mouth.

Gesse moved so quickly to their father they might have seemed to teleport. They tugged on his sleeve, a pleading look in their eyes.

He knew what this meant. Gingerly, he covered Gesse’s ears.

“GIVE US A MINUTE!” he shouted, releasing Gesse’s ears afterward. He whispered several reassurances that he didn’t meant to yell with Gesse so close, but he had to keep up appearances. Gesse nodded the entire time, showing they understood, eyes down at the floor.

The Goblin King rose from his chair with grace, towering over his teenaged child. He glided to the door, still showing the regality he once held. Gesse remained by the armchair.

Jareth opened the door, and both occupants of the house were surprised to find several Auradon guards waiting.

 “Am I under arrest for something, officers?” Jareth asked.

“No, sir,” said one of the guardsmen, bluntly.

“Is my child in trouble for something?” he asked.

“No,” said the guardsman.

“Then state your business,” Jareth said.

“May we enter?” said the guardsman.

The Goblin King looked to Gesse to gauge their state. They held up a single finger with one hand. The other hand was meticulously manipulating their crystal ball; at the same time Gesse was taking deep breaths to match the movements.

“One of you may enter,” the Goblin King said. “We are not suitable for more than one guest at the moment.”

The first guardsman entered and shut the door behind him. He gave a quick salute and stood there for a moment, staring at Gesse, evidently waiting for a response. Gesse still wasn’t in a place to respond back so they gave a slight bow.

“My child is shy,” Jareth said, noticing Gesse’s state. “They don’t speak much with strangers.”

The guardsman seemed a bit puzzled at this comment.

“Aren’t they a little old to be shy around strangers?” the guardsman asked.

“Shouldn’t you know better than to question an Unseelie High Court?” Jareth retorted.

This made the guard pause and truly consider his words. The guard had, in fact, been trained in how to speak to the Unseelie High Court. But somehow, being on the Isle made him forget that even though there is no magic, with the Fae, your words always have consequences.

“Didn’t you have something to tell us,” Jareth reminded the guardsman.

“Ah, right,” he said, pulling a scroll out of his belt and unrolling it. “By order of His Majesty, King Ben of Auradon, it is hereby decided that Gesse King, child of Jareth, the Goblin King, shall attend Auradon Prep.”

The first thought in Gesse’s head was “But I haven’t done anything.” They didn’t realize they said it aloud until the guardsman responded.

“You didn’t have to,” said the guardsman. “A list of worthy children and teenagers was put together by Lady Evie, and you were on the list. You may gather whatever you need, but we must leave promptly.”

Gesse looked at the crystal ball in their hands and took a deep breath.

“I’ll be right back,” they said, rushing up the stairs.

They grabbed a bag and started cramming it full of anything they could conceivably need. Fabrics that felt right, food that was tolerable, colors that were easy on the eyes, things that their hands could manipulate. The whole time, their crystal stayed in their coat pocket, right where they could feel it.

Once the bag was full, they rushed back downstairs.

“Got everything?” asked the guardsman.

Gesse nodded.

“Your crystal?” asked the Goblin King.

“Yes, Father,” Gesse said.

The guardsman froze a bit at the word “crystal.”

“Sir, there are no magic items allowed on Auradon,” he said.

“Gesse, show the guard your crystal,” the Goblin King demanded. Gesse complied, taking the crystal out of their pocket and manipulating it in the calming way their father had taught them years and years ago.

“It’s a crystal,” Gesse said as they manipulated it, focusing on the movement and their breathing. “Nothing more. I have no magic, and this crystal has none either.”

“It’s a calming toy for when they get stressed,” Jareth explained. “It’s completely harmless.”

The guardsman still seemed unsure, but at hearing that Gesse had no magic, felt a bit more relieved. Even if the crystal were magic, it would take more for the non-magic user to harness it.

“Follow me, then,” the guard said.


	2. Into Auradon

When they stepped outside, Gesse was still manipulating the crystal, completely focused on keeping it in contact with their skin, feeling it touch them, that they didn’t see the guards stop walking, and bumped into them, and dropped the crystal. They dashed for it, grabbing it frantically before it got too far, and were face to face with… something. They didn’t know what it was.

It was long, and shiny, and black. Parts of it were touching the ground but most of it wasn’t. They touched the parts that were. It didn’t feel right. It was smooth but it didn’t glide under the fingers. They tried touching the part that was shiny. It felt better. It was also smooth but it still didn’t glide perfectly.

“What is this thing?” Gesse asked.

“It’s a limousine,” said the guardsman. “It’s how you’ll get to Auradon.”

A different guardsman opened the door. The interior was spacious, and Gesse entered inside immediately. The same guardsman shut the door behind them and the driver started off immediately.

“There’s candy back there,” he said. “In case you wanted to try some.”

Gesse looked at the array of brightly colored bits around them. They came to the conclusion that nothing that saturated in color at that small of a size could be food. The brown stuff, however, looked like it could be food. They broke off a small piece and placed it on their tongue.

The sweetness was so unfamiliar and mixed with the familiar taste of bitterness it was a nightmare to Gesse’s tastebuds. They spit it out immediately, deciding that candy is bad.

Desperate to get the taste out, they reached for their bag, digging around inside for a familiar food. They grabbed an unsalted cracker and placed it in their mouth, allowing the blandness to take them back to a place of familiarity, to a place of comfort. The hard texture mixed with their saliva as the cracker dissolved and they swallowed it. They were calm again, and vowed to never trust candy.

All during this time, Gesse had failed to notice the limousine crossing the sea between the Isle of the Lost and Auradon. All their attention had been drawn to the bittersweet brown candy and getting rid of its flavor.

Once the vehicle landed on Auradon shores, they were finally drawn out of their stupor. They looked out the window of the limousine finally noticing the world around them, taking in the sights and sounds. They noticed the way the light glittered through the leaves in the trees, and enjoyed it. The way the bricks on the pavement looked was a comforting sight. It was charming, calming, but they didn’t quite know why, not that they really cared at the moment.

When the limousine had pulled up to the school, Gesse was surprised to find a welcoming committee waiting for them. There was King Ben, whom they recognized from the posters that had been defaced across the Isle. There was also the Fairy Godmother, who they remembered seeing on television at least once. But when they saw who else was there they couldn’t get out of the vehicle fast enough.

“MAL!” Gesse screamed and ran to embrace her as soon as the guardsman opened the door.

“Gesse!” Mal said in excitement and confusion, entering into the hug. “How did you get here?”

“I put them on that list of kids from the Isle that need a second chance,” Evie said, trying to work her way in to say hi to Gesse. They responded by grabbing her hand.

Meanwhile, King Ben and the Fairy Godmother stood by and stared awkwardly at the hug taking place before them, unsure of what to make of the stranger embracing Mal and holding Evie’s hand.

“Um, Mal,” chimed the King. “Would you mind introducing us?”

“Oh, right!” she said, breaking the embrace, and turning Gesse to face towards Ben and the Fairy Godmother, even if they didn’t look directly at either one of them. “This is my half-sibling, Gesse. We share the same father.”

“You never told me you knew your father, Mal,” Ben said, disappointed and perturbed.

“That’s probably because he had no part in my life,” she responded, not missing a beat. “Mom made sure of that.”

“And what about… their… mother?” he asked.

Gesse shrugged in response, staring at the ground.

“The Goblin King has had so many relationships, it’s anyone’s guess at this point who Gesse’s mother is,” Mal said. Then she pointed at Fairy Godmother and started laughing. “It could be you for all we know!”

Fairy Godmother gave Mal a scowl that made her cut her laugh short.

Mal placed a calming hand on Gesse’s shoulder and led them into the building, deciding that she should give her sibling the tour. She asked all sorts of questions that they could answer with gestures or short sentences, such as “Have you been eating well?” and “Has anyone been giving you trouble?” and “Did you bring everything you need?” to which Gesse pulled the crystal out of their pocket to show Mal, and put it back, but not before Fairy Godmother could see it.

“I thought I made it clear to those guards that there were to be no more magical items brought over from the Isle, but I guess they missed this one.” The Fairy Godmother held her hand out to Gesse, waiting for them to hand over the crystal ball willingly.

“It’s not magic,” Gesse said. “I’m not magic. It’s just a crystal.”

“And how do I know you’re not lying to me?” Fairy Godmother asked. “It is a habit that children on the Isle tend to pick up.”

“I don’t lie,” Gesse said. “It’s a rule.”

“A rule?” Ben asked. “What do you mean by that?”

“Dad taught them to live by Unseelie rules,” Mal explained. “These include things like, don’t lie, don’t offer favors, don’t accept favors, and never say ‘please’, ‘thank you’, or ‘sorry’.”

Fairy Godmother looked at Gesse in mild bewilderment.

“Are you fully Unseelie?”

“No, only half,” they said. “Dad never told me which past lover was my mother so I assumed she was human.”

Internally, Fairy Godmother breathed a sigh of relief.

A bell rang and the hallway was flooded with students. People going every which and what way wasn’t anything new to Gesse, but the noise that ensued was, and they covered their ears. Mal noticed the change in their behavior and placed her hands over theirs, allowing even less of the cacophony to make it through. Gesse nodded to show their appreciation.

When the crowd had passed one person that was not originally part of the tour group stayed behind, staring bewildered at the new student. He was about thirteen, had brown hair, green eyes, and was clutching a book of Grimm’s Fairy Tales tightly in one hand.

Gesse noticed he was staring at them, and gently pushed Mal’s hands away so they could clutch the crystal. Manipulate it, breathe, repeat. Just like Dad taught.

“Samuel, you should head off to class before you become tardy, _again_ ,” Fairy Godmother warned.

He looked at Gesse, and could tell what they were, and gained a look of utter disgust.

“Whose bright idea was it to let _that_ in here?” he said staring at Gesse.

Gesse clutched the crystal like they were about to hurl it at him. Mal placed her hand on their arm and Evie stepped forward, knowing that Gesse despised being called an object.

“I did, and so did Ben,” she said. “And if you have a problem with it, you can take it up with him.”

This seemed to shut Samuel up for now and the young boy ran off to class.

Fairy Godmother began to explain who it was that just insulted Gesse.

“That was Samuel, son of-“

“I could tell whose son it was,” Gesse said. “Son of Sarah Williams, the person who bested my father, but for some reason still holds a grudge against him.”

“Well,” Mal said, “At least you’re fifteen and he’s only thirteen. You two won’t have any classes together.”

Gesse appreciated this information. Perhaps they wouldn’t ever have to see each other.

“Actually,” Fairy Godmother said, “He’s a very bright boy. He skipped a grade and is in the high school course. He’s a freshman.”

Not the worst thing in the world, right? So they’re both in the same building, big deal.

“Okay,” Ben said, reassuringly, “So you two might have gym together.”

One class. One class wasn’t that bad. Gesse could handle one class.

“And,” Fairy Godmother interrupted once more, “Due to our sources about your disabilities, we deemed it best that Gesse be enrolled in the freshman courses as well.”

Wait, what? Did they even consult their father? He would definitely not allow this. No one even talked to them about it. What tests were they given? Why weren’t they told about this?

“That still might not mean that you ever have a class with him, though,” Mal said. “When I first got here, the only classes I had with Evie were the ones that only kids from the Isle took. You’ll have to take those and he definitely won’t be there!”

But their agency was still removed. That was still not okay. They were still not okay with this. Having one class a day away from him at least would not make this situation any better.

“That may be true but he has been assigned to tutor them according to their schedule,” Evie said, looking at the piece of paper containing Gesse’s class schedule.

“Can I make my own decisions?” Gesse exclaimed. “I may be different but I’m not a child! Do I get no say in my own intelligence or whether or not I need a tutor?”

Everyone stared at Gesse in bewilderment. They had gotten used to their relative silence, their emotionless responses. Now they were angry, and speaking in full sentences.

“I hate to break it to you but the schedule is finalized,” Fairy Godmother said. “But, we can reconsider the tutor.”

“Can we strike a deal, then?” Gesse asked.

“How about, you only go to your tutor if you truly need the help,” Fairy Godmother suggested. “Otherwise, you don’t need to interact with him at all except when you have class with him.”

Gesse thought for a moment. They twisted and turned the possibilities of these words, searching for ulterior motives and loopholes.

“These terms are agreeable,” Gesse said.

“Good, I’m glad we could come to an agreement,” Fairy Godmother said. “Mal, would you kindly show your sibling to their dormitory?” Fairy Godmother excused herself and left to her office.


	3. Burns

Gesse’s dormitory was a single room dormitory that looked like it had been assembled at the last minute. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t quite as nice as the other dorm rooms that they peeked into on the way to theirs. But maybe that was just because Gesse hadn’t had a chance to personalize it, yet.

“So basically as long as it’s not in immediate danger of exploding or catching on fire or doing any other kind of damage, you can put anything anywhere in your room,” Mal finished explaining.

Gesse looked around the room, trying to get a gauge on where everything was. It was going to be a big adjustment after all, since they’d never moved before.

They examined the windows, with long billowy curtains. The curtains flowed like smoke and the fabric felt nice under their fingers. Gesse decided that the windows should be opened at night to allow a cool breeze through.

Next Gesse looked at the bed. The frame was green and had the school crest on the footboard and the spread. They weren’t quite sure if they’d enjoy the sensation of being covered in blankets while they slept or not. They’d never tried it before. Likewise, the pillows were a similar conundrum. Should they stay on the bed or should they be banished to the floor?

They noticed a closet against the wall and opened it. It was quite spacious, perhaps enough for Gesse to fit in themself. They also wondered if Evie could make an outfit out of the material they brought from home, since they’d had a growth spurt since she left and Gesse was never very good at sewing.

There was a square, white table in the center of the room, around which four chairs were placed. A television was mounted to the wall, and a white writing desk was against another. The entire room felt like an amalgam of gender stereotypes, crammed together into a single space so as to cause the least amount of offense possible.

“The room is… colorful,” Gesse said.

“Well, when they asked if you were a boy or a girl, we said you were neither,” Mal explained. “So they kinda just put this room together with bits and bobs from both sides. It’s also why you don’t have a roommate.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” Gesse said as they opened a window, feeling the cool breeze enter the room.

The curtains billowed slightly in the breeze and Gesse enjoyed the way it looked. They would definitely have to keep the windows open whenever possible.

“So, before I go, do you need anything?” Mal asked.

Gesse glanced out the window and saw someone rear back to throw something.

“GET DOWN!” Gesse said. They barely saw the object get hurled through the open window but they managed to avoid getting hit, and thankfully Mal didn’t get hit, either.

Mal angrily walked over to the window to try to find the perpetrator, but whoever threw the object had left. She shut the window. Gesse, in the meantime, had made their way over to the object to inspect it, finding a note.

“ _Go_ _back to the Isle. We don’t need more bad influences_ ,” they read aloud.

“Don’t listen to that note,” Mal said, taking the note from Gesse and throwing it away. “But maybe you should keep your window shut. That way, if someone does throw something, they’re damaging school property and they’ll get in trouble for it.”

Gesse looked at the object. It was oddly shaped, like it had fallen off of something, or been broken off. It almost looked like it could be part of a fence.

They grabbed it to dispose of it but were immediately faced with a burning sensation in their hand. Gesse screamed out in pain and recoiled, still hearing the hiss of the metal on their skin.

“What happened?” Mal asked.

“Iron!” Gesse shouted. “It was iron!”

Mal was caught off guard. She had no spells memorized on how to handle iron burns, and she didn’t even know Gesse could get iron burns, being only half-fae. Thinking as fast as she could, she grabbed a container and filled it with water, and placed her siblings burning hand into it. Their screams turned into shallow breaths as the burning turned into stinging.

“I’m going to go get some help,” Mal said. “You keep your hand in the water.”

Gesse nodded. It’s not like they wanted to move, anyway. All they could do was sit there and try to breathe normally as they fiddled with the crystal ball in their pocket.

Breathe, manipulate the crystal, ignore the pain, is she back yet? Breathe, manipulate the crystal, it hurts even in the water, what’s taking so long? Breathe, don’t lose your grip, why does it hurt so much, how long has it been? Breathe, breathe, breathe, breathe-

Mal finally returned with the Fairy Godmother, having been filled in on the whole situation. She took a look at Gesse’s situation and knew immediately what to do.

“It’s been a while since I dealt with iron burns but, Mal, you take these herbs here and grind them into a salve,” she said, handing some plants to Mal.

She then reached for the offending object, which freaked Gesse out, knowing that she was a fairy.

“I’ll be fine,” she assured them. “Iron only hurts the Unseelie. It takes a different metal to hurt me.” She effortlessly picked up the iron piece and gave it a look-over.

“This came off of an old wrought-iron fence somewhere,” she said. “Mal, you said there was a note attached?”

“In the trash,” Mal said, still pulverizing the herbs.

Fairy Godmother took the note out of the trash and read it. She shook her head in disappointment at whoever wrote it.

“I’m disgusted at the fact that you had to receive such cruelty on your first day here,” she said. “I thought the students had put this all behind them, but evidently not. Some anti-Isle sentiment still exists. But have no doubt the culprit will be found.”

“The salve is ready,” Mal said.

“Good,” Fairy Godmother said, turning to Gesse. “I’m going to take your hand out of the water and dry it off. It’s going to burn again, but when we put the salve on and wrap it in a bandage it will stop burning and heal.”

Gesse nodded, bracing themself for the pain. They pulled their hand out of the water and the stinging got worse. When Fairy Godmother dried off their hand, the burning came back in full force, but she immediately applied the salve and wrapped up the wound.

“If we’re lucky, there won’t be a scar,” she said.

Of course, Gesse didn’t hear that part. They were too focused on their breathing.

“Now, I know this is very soon,” Fairy Godmother said. “But I need to know. Did you see who threw the iron through your window?”

Gesse shook their head.

“I looked out,” they said. “I saw someone. I noticed they were about to throw something, and I told Mal to duck, and I ducked too. I didn’t look long enough to see what they looked like.”

“In that case we’ll set up an investigation,” Fairy Godmother said. “Students should feel safe within these walls, not threatened. In the meantime, I might recommend gloves before touching objects if you don’t know they contain iron.”

Fairy Godmother left the room with the offending objects in her grasp, muttering about filing reports and enhancing security and calling parents.

That just left Mal and Gesse standing in the room in awkward silence. A very long, very awkward silence.

“Has iron always burned you?” Mal asked.

Gesse shrugged.

“Never had the chance to find out?”

Gesse shook their head.

“Well, I know it burns me,” she said.

The awkward silence returned. Seconds ticked by feeling like minutes. Would it be rude to just leave? Would it be more rude to stay without being wanted? What was the best course of action here?

“Mal, can I?” Gesse started, but stopped.

“What is it?” she asked.

“I don’t feel safe in here right now,” they said.

“You want to sleep over in my room?” Mal asked.

Gesse nodded.

“Sure, that’s fine with me,” she said. “Just grab the basics and I’ll show you to my room.”

Gesse hadn’t even unpacked yet so grabbing the basics meant stealing the comforter and a pillow from the bed. They liked the way the fabrics felt and thought maybe the pillows wouldn’t have to be banished to the floor, after all, once they felt safe enough to sleep in their own room.


End file.
